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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

I bought my last rubber boots in spring 2005 in Copenhagen. They were cheap and pretty. White with simple grey and black flowers in them. But this year's rainy Karkkugospel (open air 1-day Christian music event) day, when I last wore my boots made my realize their time is up. I started keeping my eyes open for new ones. My old ones, cheap as they were, weren't the best ones for my feet. So I new I wanted proper brand boots. And I wanted Nokian boots, because they are Finnish. Yes, the same company that later realized there's market for cell phones.

Nokian footwear has different kinds of boots and shoes for rainy and winter weathers. I decided upon Hai boots that come from their City collection and also are one of the original models. They are shorter and fit snugly, which make them good for city use. And they have nice colors to choose from.

We left to buy the boots today, because we are attending an annual Christian summer fest in the weekend (mostly open air) and the weather forecast promised rain for Saturday. I wanted new boots for that. We thought we'd just pop into a bigger store and get them. Nooo... I wanted a particular color, yellow, and the store didn't have it in my size. We ended up going through a store after store and not finding my size or my color. Finally, my wonderful hubby thought to look up the factory store in Nokia, which is the city where the whole company is from and took its name. It's about a 30-minute drive from where we live, but we had got closer to it on our search going from store to store. There finally I got to have my pick and choose! I ended up selecting another color I had hunted for, but a color I hadn't seen in any of the places we had been to. I picked a pair of dark orange Hai boots and plan to take good care of them, so they will serve me well and long.

Don't pay attention to my abnormally white legs...

P.S. I'm also wearing the pants I got with my gift card I mentioned a couple of weeks ago.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Oh, I wish I knew how to describe this community properly! She Reads Truth started a little over a month ago when two women decided it's high time to start reading the Word daily. They wanted to encourage each other and other women in that aim, and so She Reads Truth became to be. It's not only a website, it's a movement, a range of different ways of communication to discuss about the daily devotionals. It's on Twitter, Instagram (I'm so bummed my cell doesn't support Instagram), Facebook as well as the website and in many, many a woman's journal.

What I love about this how easy the women have made it. Or rather, it was as easy earlier as well, but this community made me aware of it. Because of this community read, I have downloaded YouVersion Bible app on my cell phone and found their enormous variety of different reading plans. Right now I'm on Day 5 with Living the Surrended Life reading plan, which is the current read at She Reads Truth and I l-o-v-e it. It's not easy, no, but it's so right. The passages of the Bible and the short devotionals that go along with them have been so on target with me. I love reading it. I love that I'm now reading the Bible every day and it's so easy, because I can do it any spare moment I have, just as long as I have my cell. I don't mean that it's enough what I do, but at least it's daily. I want to read more than just those passages and sometimes I do, but I'm reading something everyday, which is a huge thing for me. And it feels good and hopefully has an impact.

I read about this whole thing from Kate @ The Small Things Blog at one of her High Five for Friday link-up posts. I was excited to find out about this thing and so happy Kate wrote about it, which is exactly why I am posting about it now. If someone, who really needs this, founds out about it because of this blog post, I'm really happy I wrote about. I encourage you warmly to check it out.

Friday, June 22, 2012

It's not much celebrated elsewhere, I guess, but in Finland it's a big deal. It's always on the closest weekend to June 23rd and Friday is always a national holiday. Most Finns take off for a long weekend at their summer cottages to grill, chill and have a good time. So did my husband and I. We came to my in-law's summer place on Thursday. The weather has been a dream and we have had such a wonderful time relaxing and not caring what time it is. I love this place and how relaxed it makes me feel!

Yes, I'm a sports spectator. Learnt it on my father's knee. And later on my hubby's side. I've been thrilled to watch some football (or soccer to my American friends) and root for my favorites. Now towards the end of two (out of three) the excitement is getting higher and higher!

3. My new maxi

I sewed the skirt I showed the fabric in my last Hive Five for Friday post and it turned out really really well! I've already worn it once to a birthday party and loved wearing it. I will make a post of its own about the skirt when I get round taking photos of it. After Monday, the weather wasn't really skirt-friendly, but now that it's been better again maybe I could make my hubby take some photos :)

4. Tan?

As we don't have a yard of our own at home and the weather has been fine, I've really enjoyed sunbathing here at the summer place today, hoping to catch a little tan, so I could feel a little more summer. I've had such a relaxing time lying on the yard, sunbathing and reading.

And what I've been reading is truly a remarkable and inspiring book. Mosab Hassan Yousef is the oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, one of the founders of Hamas. If you want to hear from someone, who has seen both sides of the story, I strongly recommend this book. One of the best reads of my life.

Monday, June 18, 2012

This isn't a new recipe. This is my absolute go-to bread recipe. Only the pan is new. It's the same pan I about at The Knitting Baker's Facebook page (go ahead and click like!) on Friday. I have two silicon bread molds that are losing their shape and I got tired of that and invested 5 Euros to the red bread pan in the back of the picture. And making that bread was the test run for this new pan. Score! I love it how sturdy the bread is!

Another new thing when baking this bread was an invention of my hubby's. The bread seems to need the full 30 minutes in the oven, or it stays a little too moist and slightly doughy and falls apart a little when cutting. The temperature is so hot, however, that the surface of the bread might burn a little, if the bread is kept in the oven for 30 minutes. Mu hubby suggested I'd try the pizza baking "mode" our new oven has. In that, only the lower heat is on as well as is the fan of the oven. So heat comes from underneath the pan but the fan still spreads it around in the oven so that the surface bakes enough too. I also lowered the temperature a tiny bit, because most recipes advise to do that, if baking with the fan on. This turned out to be the perfect solution. No doughiness or falling apart in the bread, but the surface is as it should be and not too dark. Yay!

I share this recipe again, as it's not in this blog yet. So easy and so good! I implore you to try it! I'll also link the Finnish version here.

500 ml of water, temperature 42 C/107 F
1 dose of dry yeast (11g)
1 dl / ½ cup of flakes (I used bran and wheat crush)
1 dl / ½ cup of rye flour
8-9 dl / 3-4 cups of wheat flour (I used a little less, 7-8 dl)
2 tsp of salt
oil or butter for greasing (with silicone molds you only have to grease it the first time you use it and then every once in a while but not nearly every time)
1 tbl of treacle/molasses

Mix the rye flour, treacle, yeast, salt and flakes in the warm water. Let it be for 30 minutes covered with a towel.

Add the wheat flour into the mixture little by little. The dough should not be too hard! Let it rise for 30 minutes covered with a towel.

Grease the mold, if necessary. Put the dough into the mold. Let it rise for another 30 minutes covered with a towel.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

First of all, sorry about the photos. I only realized I wanted photos taken from my outfit just about a second before going to sleep and both the model and the photographer were tired and not at their best. I wanted to post these to you, nevertheless, because there are things I wanted to show you.

I was invited to a garden party for yesterday. The weather wasn't as good as it could have been, thus the long sleeves and pants. These photos feature a couple of things I want to point out.

I'm wearing the cardigan I got from Seppälä on Wednesday with my gift card. I adore it. It's almost entirely rayon, but for 5% of elastine. It is cool, drapes beautifully and feels wonderfully smooth on my skin. (Did I just use these same adjectives to describe the fabric for my skirt in my last post? Oh my.) I also really like the pockets of this cardi. Want to know what else I adore? My Pieces necklace. I don't think these ones are being sold anymore... I have the same one in red, which actually was my first buy and six months later I came across this blue one and have been wearing these both a ton. The big earrings are a gift from my darling husband :)

The pants are Vero Moda's, not the exact ones that I linked before, but with a drawstring at the hem of the legs. And a darker brown too, obviously. I love them. They are so comfortable. Don't mind the way I look in that photo, it is there to show you the pants and like I said, I was tired.

Last but not least, I did an up-do. Not so easy with hair this length, so that' why I want to show it off. It's not at its best either, but I really liked it. As you can see I did a little French braid from over me left year towards the right side of my neck. It stayed put fairly well. If the summer will turn out the be a warm one, I will probably do these kinds of braids again to keep the hair off my neck.

Friday, June 15, 2012

It's Friday again! And I'm continuing with High Five for Friday, linking up with Lauren from From My Grey Desk Blog. She has this neat weekly post that ranks the five favorite things from the past week. I had lots of fun things happening to me this week, so I had a little trouble choosing only five, but here I go with mine!

1. Gift card shopping

Don't you just love gift cards? It's the same feeling when you some money from you parents and got to spend it in any way you want! Well, when you're adult you have (or should have) at least some money all the time, but you don't get that thrill, because you know you're not supposed to use it all up, because what would you eat, if you're out of money entirely) (Wow, what a long sentence...) But with gift cards you can use the whole amount of it to things you want (and you don't have to actually need them) and don't have to worry about not having a bite to eat for the rest of the month. I got a gift card to a Finnish clothing chain Seppälä last fall and on Wednesday I finally went and spent it! Blogging about my finds later :)

2. Reunion

I met up yesterday for a friend of mine, whom I hadn't seen since last August as she spent her latest study year on a scholarship in USA. We got together for some summer shopping (yay!) and later came to my home and made homemade pizza (yum!) and watched a chick flick with some rhubarb meringue pie :) A very good day altogether, sorry that there's no photos!

I heart rhubarb. We had it in abundance in the backyard of my childhood home and it's only a couple of years ago I realized how much I've missed it and how wonderful it was to have it on hand. I went to the farmers' market on Wednesday and got a kilo of rhubarb stems. After that, talking on the phone with my dear mother-in-law, I got her permission to raid her rhubarb bush. This means I will have rhubarb to enjoy not only in early summer when it's in season, but in the freezer and as jam throughout winter 12/13 as well!

In the last couple of days, the weather has finally started showing signs of summer! I don't care to be bummed out about the rain the forecasts are promising for tomorrow evening and Sunday, as this post is supposed to be about things that have already happened this week. And the sunshine and the thermometer crawling up to temperatures I relate at least with Finnish summer have really been such a joy to me that earns a spot in the High Five for Friday.

5. Skirt fabric

Even though my first skirt didn't turn out exactly as I had planned, I am going to brave to make another one, a different kind. Yesterday I was helped by a really nice lady in the fabric store and bough some beautiful petrol blue/green (I am SO partial to this color!) rayon jersey with a little bit of elastine. It drapes wonderfully and I'm very excited and hoping my maxi skirt will fulfill my expectations!

(Oh, when shopping I had to buy a nail polish that totally matched with my skirt fabric, it was only 1 € at H&M...)

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Although the weather hasn't really been what I had hoped for for the start of my holiday (rainier and windier and a little colder too), I want to prepare myself for the summery days (hopefully) ahead and go shopping! I fixed a date with a friend of mine and this week we will hit the stores together. I thought I'd list some of the items I am going to take a look at and if satisfied, take home with me.

I had a similar pair years ago (without the ribbing) and wore them pretty much until they came apart at the seams. These kind of pants are so easy to pair with any kind of top basically and they are so comfortable to wear too. I'm not so much a heels girl though, I would wear these with flats (see below).

Simple, yet pretty. The other color options are pretty good too and I haven't really set my mind to this color yet, but I like the shade a lot. I really like the back of this top as well and the way it is a little flowy towards the hem.

Such colors, such models! I don't know yet, whether I will get any of these (they do cost some) and if I will, which would I choose and in which color, but man, they are pretty! Imagine the fun tan lines you would get with the last two pairs!

We shall see whether these pics find their way into my closet and summer style. What do you think of these? I will keep you posted on what I bought!

Friday, June 8, 2012

Lauren, from From My Grey Desk, has a fun weekly post in her blog. It's called High Five for Friday and it's about stating five favorite things from each week. Check out Lauren's top five for this week! So, you can link your own post in hers too and participate in this great idea, like I am in this post. This is my first time doing so, and hope to continue to do it. I'm not taking pressure for myself though as some Fridays will be really difficult for posting, if I'm out of town for the weekend. But here goes!

1. Summer vacation!

This week has been my first vacation week for this summer! I'm happy that I have accomplished stuff and not just been lying around. This is my first whole summer on paid vacation too, yay!

2. Sewing a skirt

Mine didn't turn out anything like the original, The Socialite Skirt by Leann Barrow, but once I got past the disappointment that it didn't look the same, I think I still made something nice and useful out of it. And it still met my criteria of being easy to throw on. Another post coming up from my skirt later on.

3. BBQ and sauna

Our new home is very cozy, but we don't have our own yard or sauna in this apartment. So we went to my in-laws' to barbecue and have a sauna this week, always fun!

4. A picnic blanket!

I've been wanting to have a proper picnic blanket for a little while now. There isn't a whole lot of use for it, but it's so welcome when there is. So when I found one on sale at Hemtex yesterday, I jumped at the chance. Hope this comes to good use this summer! And especially tomorrow, as my fifth and last thing on the list is...

5. Karkkugospel

This is not until tomorrow but I've been looking forward to it, so I'm going to add it to my list anyway. This is my 4th year attending this open air Christian youth event. It feels incredible that only my 4th, because now it's such a tradition. For my husband it's a really long-standing tradition and I've been going ever since we got married except one, because I was in Germany for my studies at the time. But tomorrow it is again, and I really hope the weather is fine!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

During the last week of school I baked for some of my German learners as well as workmates. For my German learners I made a German apple cake (Apfel-Streuselkuchen) in a pie dish (might post a photo and the recipe later). Halving the recipe, I was left with 25 grams of yeast. Yesterday, I used that to make the loaf breads. It was my first time with that specific recipe, and I wasn't sure, if my bread mold was big enough for the dough, so I made 1½ loaves. A little weird, but I know how to work it the next time. I wasn't faithful to the recipe in some of the ingredients either, so I guess I need to have a fresh try with it some time.

I had three carrots too, which I meant to grate in the bread dough. Forgot. So I decided to make a batch of carrot rolls of them. A very good recipe, yummy bread rolls. A pleased husband, eating my carrot rolls. What better way to start a holiday?

Sunday, June 3, 2012

To celebrate the start of my summer vacation, I made these froyo popsicles. I bought this cute popsicle mold from Ikea not too long ago and have been scanning and gathering ideas for all kinds of popsicles from Pinterest. Idea for these specifically came from a photo I pinned from tast-e. I didn't have banana or fresh strawberries, but I decided to try them out with Turkish yogurt and strawberry puree I had on handy. I added a little bit of sugar in the strawberry puree and a little bit of golden syrup in the Turkish yogurt and layered them in the popsicle molds and let them freeze.

Loved them. I bet these would be really refreshing on a hot summer day. We haven't had many of those yet, but it's good to have this recipe tested for them, nevertheless :) I like that I know what's in them, meaning no conservatives etc and that they aren't too sweet. I'm also looking forward to trying out different kinds of popsicle variations. Summer weather, please co-operate with this expectation!